Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1887-08-05
THE WOMEN OF flJNIs.
A Locality whoro Beauty Is Invariably
Measured by Pounds.

Measured by Pounds.
The women of the higher classes in
Tunis are very strictly guarded, even
as compared with those of other Mo-
hammedan countries. Tho white
shroudcd figures that you meet in the
streets of the old town, gliding along
with black or white yashmak before
the face, are usually those of old women
in humble circumstances. The white
veil indicates n slightly higher caste
than the black, or, at least, more re-
gard for what we call style. But ii is
uncommon to encounter yelled woman
in the street whom one can reasonably
suspect of youth or comeliness. The
elder women of the lower classes go
afooG to the suks, or bazars, to do their
shopping; but so thorough is the disci-
plino of n supcrhuous jealousy that the
wrinkled creatures will often dodge
into doorway or sidle Off down some
alley to avoid meeting man in Euro
pean clothes.
The younger and fairer wives and
daughters of the well-to-do Tunisians
one rarely sees except by accident.
Several miles out of town one day our
coachman drove up to u roadside well
to water his horses. Another carriage
of respectable appearance, drawn by
two fine mules-the mule is the aristo-
cratic draught animal in Tunis-was
already there for the same purpose.
We came up rather suddenly, and the
green lattice in the carriage window,
three feet from our vehicle, was partly
open. Two ladies were inside-fat
figures swaddlcd and half smothered in
white stuffs. OF the faces the eyes only
were visible. They seemed to be far
more curious about us than we about
thcre; but in two minutes our view of
the interior was cclipsed by n huge
black hand which appeared from above
and abruptly slammed shut the green
blind. This hand belonged TO the
eunueh who sat beside the driver.
While the Kabylc women of all classes,
and the Bedomn Arab women, lii town
or country, and the far more beautiful
Jewesses, poor or rich, go about with
perfect unconcern, their faces unveiled
and often good deal of the figure ex-
posed to view, the lot of the females of
Moorish or Turkish races is seclusion
as perfect a3 fanaticism can suggest or
jealousy devise. There are said to be
thousands of women in Tunis whose
only walk abroad during the whole
course of their lives is the wedding
promenade from parents house to hus-
bands; unless, indeed, one is so unfor-
tunate upon her arrival as to fail to
please the bridegroom who has never
before seen her face. and is consequently
marched back in ignOminy to the house
when she came.
In Tunis the golden apple goes to the
fattest. Beauty Is measured by pounds,
not only among the Mohammedans,
who prepare their girls for matrimony
by forcing their diet of kuskussu, the
national dish, highly fattening stew
of meat or poultry, herbs and dough-
boys, or by treating them specially
with horse liver. but also among the
jews, whose women naturally incline
to cOrpulencc.
If an observant visitor could gain
admission to one of the swell harems
of Tunis while occupied by its tenants,
he would no doubt be enabled to paint
picture very different from the con-
ventional idea. Instead of Congress
of Beauty he would find grand aggre-
CATION of Fatncss-girls old and obese
at twenty, middle-aged mountains of
flesh, venerable monstrosities, all quar-
reliLg and wrangling and intriguing
for the favor of the tickle master, sim
ply because that favor was the only
form of distinction or mark of superb
ority open to their ambition.--Cor. ".
Y. Sun.